Gugu Zulu's last race too late to save him
Gugu Zulu and his wife, Letshego, sharing this pic on Instagram before they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. He experienced breathing problems and is said to have died while being treated. pic Instagram Gugu Zulu and his wife, Letshego, sharing this pic on Instagram before they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. He experienced breathing problems and is said to have died while being treated. pic Instagram
JOBURG: Six weeks ago, renowned race car driver Gugu Zulu was excited about his prospects of conquering Kilimanjaro for the first time.
He was aware of the physical toll it takes to climb the highest mountain in Africa, but was unperturbed. The extra motivation for Zulu and his wife Letshego – the two of them known as the Adventure Couple – was contributing to a cause espoused by Nelson Mandela.
“We are probably the fittest among the climbers, even though we have never climbed a mountain before. The higher you go, the more susceptible you are to the altitude sickness.
"If you slow down and let your body catch up, you can recover,” Zulu told Cape Times's sister paper the African Independent, in the run-up to Trek4Mandela, an initiative aimed at raising funds in support of the Caring4Girls sanitary pad distribution programme for underprivileged girls.
In the early hours of yesterday, however, on the day Madiba's legacy was being celebrated, Zulu died trying to conquer the mountain. He had been at the Kibo base camp, which is the last camp before the summit when, at about 5pm on Sunday, he developed flu-like symptoms, according to Neeran Naidoo, spokesman for the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
“The medical doctor who examined him put him on drip. At about 9pm, his symptoms hadn't changed and it was decided that he and his wife wouldn't continue, and that he be taken down the mountain”, he said yesterday.
Then began the descent down the mountain, with Zulu carried on a stretcher by a rescue team. His wife and the expedition leader Richard Mabaso were also by his side.
Zulu was found to have problems breathing before he slipped away. He and his team of escorts had reached the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi town at 4am yesterday when he died. The foundation said medical teams did everything they could to save his life to no avail.
Mabaso, founder of Caring4Girls, said: “There are always people with symptoms when you get to base camp. Whether it’s nausea, headaches, we always drink water and take other precautions. She checked on everyone – but some things are going to happen regardless.”
Mabaso said Zulu's wife was “devastated” and was resting. “She was amazing; she was always by his side from the top to when they took him down.”
He also said the rest of the hikers returned to base camp between 5pm and 8pm last night to receive the tragic news.
Tributes continued to pour in from all corners of the country, with renowned South African mountaineer Saray Khumalo saying: “My thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. It is a great loss for the South African adventure community.”
President Jacob Zuma said he was “deeply saddened by this tragic and painful incident”. The ANC, DA, EFF and PAC also sent messages of condolences to his wife and family.
Zulu, 38, leaves behind his wife and one-year-old daughter Lelethu.